


CODE M

by melmac



Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-30
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-06 16:55:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1109267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melmac/pseuds/melmac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clark and Lex are thrown back into each other's lives after a tragic event, and the result is a bond that can't ever be broken between them</p>
            </blockquote>





	CODE M

* * *

 

He heard his car grinding through the weathered roads when it was still a mile away. He loved the sound of that engine-the way it hummed and anticipated every shift and turn. No one would guess he knew or cared about the difference between the choke and sputter of his truck's engine and the smooth rhythm that pulsated under the hood of a rare Porsche. But there were many things few would guess about him. He narrowed his eyes and watched as the silver car winded its way towards the entrance to the farm. He should have run, but he didn't. He stood there waiting indifferently, like he'd been waiting without interest for the past few days, refusing to leave the loft.

Lex stopped just below his window, and he knew why he was there-the same reason everyone had been showing up for several days, but for whatever reason, Lex was the only one he was willing to see. He knew Lex saw him standing there, watching him walk towards the barn, but he refused to look up. Lex was playing a little game of his own he guessed. Clark moved to the couch looking him directly in the eyes as he climbed the stairs. Lex came and stood in front of him silently, waiting for Clark to make the first move-but he wasn't going to. Clark knew what he wanted, but he wasn't going to give in, he refused. He was upset, though a new word should be invented for what he was. Maybe it was normal to feel this out of grip with reality, he didn't know. His father's death had felt different, but then there was still something to hang on to-now there was nothing.

Clark gripped his stomach in pain, hoping Lex wouldn't notice. He'd been getting pains in his abdomen with increasing frequency over the last couple of days. Maybe his grief had become physical pain. He glanced up at Lex finally, but Lex looked at him without emotion, which made him angry, but what did he expect? Nothing had really changed between them. He heard Lex sigh lightly and shift on his feet. He knew he'd won their silent game of chicken.

"Are we going to talk about what happened?"

Clark looked up and shook his head holding his gaze. A pain shot through him again, and he twisted the fabric of his shirt tightly to keep from yelling out.

"You're not a child Clark, at least have the decency to speak to me."

Clark stood up so Lex had to look up at him instead. "What do you want me to say? What is there to say?"

But he quickly gave up being defiant; he just didn't have the energy. He turned away and sat on the windowsill. Lex followed him, not letting him off so easily,

"You were upset, we both were."

Clark shot him an angry look. "She wasn't your mother."

"I realize that Clark, but she was someone I cared a great deal for. Martha..."

Clark was on his feet. "She wasn't your mother!"

Lex was growing angry himself, but he thought back to when he lost his own mother and softened. Mostly he was frustrated he'd allowed himself to be put in this position. He thought those feelings disappeared with their friendship long ago.

"Fine, she wasn't my mother, but i know what its like to lose a mother. You never get over losing the only person in the world who will truly love you no matter what."

Clark sat back down and kept his eyes downcast. He refused to cry-not in front of Lex, though if he'd simply allowed himself to cry on Lex's shoulder after the funeral, maybe none of this would have happened.

Clark sighed. "I can't do this right now Lex. I'm sorry about what happened. I don't know where it came from. I think i just wanted to feel something else-anything else."

"I took advantage of you."

Clark looked up confused.

"You were vulnerable and lost. I saw my opportunity and took it."

Clark just shook his head. "Stop it Lex."

"Its the truth Clark, its who i am."

Clark knew what he was doing, and it was the last thing he needed. "Don't play the villain with me Lex. I could have stopped you and I didn't. You don't have to take all the blame."

Lex went to protest but stopped. It was a stupid gesture on his part and he didn't know why he suddenly wanted to make the person he'd spent so much energy hating over the last couple of years, feel better.

Clark rubbed his belly again-what was wrong with him? "So where does that leave us?"

Lex frowned. "I'm not sure - are you Ok?"

Clark nodded. The pain subsided again. It almost felt like his insides were shifting-something was definitely not right.

"The truth is, I'm not sure why I'm here. I did over-hear Chloe when I was at the Talon mentioning how you hadn't left the loft since the funeral. Something drew me here-I guess I thought I could help."

"You still go to the Talon?"

Lex raised his eyebrow, "I still own it Clark."

"Right. Look, everyone is worried about nothing. I'll be fine. I don't know what this is exactly, but it won't last forever...I'll be fine."

Lex nodded, watching Clark's face color with the emotion he was fighting to control. He remembered how his own emotions were on the surface when his lost his own mother. Anything could move him to sobbing. But he knew Clark wouldn't do that-not in front of him. Even at the funeral he remained stoic and unmoving, and when he found him later in the loft after he'd disappeared from the wake, the only evidence of how distraught he was were his red cheeks, moist with wiped away tears. He admitted now what he wanted most in that moment was to see Clark break. He wanted to see him crumble, to see that perfect veneer crack. Maybe that's why he did what he did. What shocked him most was how easy it was to get him to respond.

He'd stood there watching Clark silently and then pulled him into an awkward embrace, surprised at how warm he felt. Clark felt limp in his arms, and it'd been so easy to pull his mouth to his and part his lips with his tongue. It was like they were both drowning and were each other's air. Clark's movements became frenzied and desperate quickly and before Lex knew it he was down on his knees in front of Clark, yanking his pants down. He wanted Clark completely naked, and only teased his cock that strained against his boxers while he pulled the rest of his clothes off. He'll never forget the site of Clark lying naked on old creaking floorboards, panting with eyes glazed over, writhing from pleasure. He could have stared at the sight forever, but he wasted no time, flipping him over onto his stomach and entering him, not caring that he was most likely a virgin. Clark didn't protest, he seemed to welcome the pain, and came in a strangled cry as Lex continued to pound into him, forcing every ounce of anger and frustration out of him.

Afterwards Clark didn't move and kept his face turned towards the floor. Lex knew he was crying then, but not from what they'd just done, but from the release it provided. He'd covered him with an old blanket and placed a pillow under his head. The rest of the evening he made sure no one came to look for Clark in his loft, and only left when the farm was completely empty of guests. Maybe he should have stayed that night-maybe things would be different now if he had. Looking at Clark sitting there, trying to knit himself back together, he wished he had.

"Would you like me to leave?"

Clark wanted to say yes, but the truth was, he didn't want to be alone, and Lex was the only one who really understood how important his parents were to him and exactly how much they'd given him. Lex always admired his parents, even if he could never get past that wall his father built around him. None of his closest friends got it, it was ironic that the one person he ever called an enemy was the only one that did.

Clark shook his head, "I don't know what I want. I want you to stay, but we're not friends; what happened didn't change that-things aren't really different between us."

Lex just looked at him wearily. "If things weren't different I wouldn't be standing here now."

Clark shook his head again. "I can't trust you Lex. I want to, and it would be so easy, but i know i can't"

Lex felt that familiar anger rise. There it was—the one thing Clark would never grant him. And it had become a self-fulfilling prophecy—he wasn't someone Clark could trust now, but he believed at one time he was. But there was no point in picking at old wounds; Lex had gotten over this long a go.

"You're right Clark, you can't. Why start now? All you need to know is I'm here and if you want me to stay I will."

Lex wasn't sure but he thought he saw Clark nod. He took a seat next to him on the sill and Clark didn't move away and they both sat there silently as the sun set behind them. A week ago was the first time he'd been there in a long time, but he hadn't taken the time to notice that nothing changed. Nothing on the farm ever did-the same floral curtains hung in the kitchen windows, the same pots of fresh flowers swung from the porch roof, and the same picture frames sat in the foyer of the small family that no longer existed. He cautiously put his arm around Clark, and almost by instinct he relaxed into his embrace. He felt him trembling and expected to find tears when he looked at his face, but instead he saw his face was contorted in pain.

Lex moved back "Clark, what is it?"

Clark pushed away from him and doubled over moaning.

He choked out "..its hurts" and fell to the floor clawing at his shirt. His moans quickly turned to screams and Lex felt he had no choice but to call for an ambulance despite Clark shaking his head frantically as he lay there sweating profusely and gasping. Lex was in a panic, he had no idea what was happening to him. He kneeled on the floor beside him trying to pull his hands away to see his what was the cause of his excruciating pain. What he saw beneath the ripped fabric made him jump back alarmed. The flesh on Clark's stomach seemed to be rippling and contracting right before his eyes. Lex stood there paralyzed, cell phone hanging limply in his hand as to his horror Clark's belly completely receded, and Clark howled in pain. Then everything just stopped. His stomach pushed out and returned to normal and Clark lay motionless on the floor. At first Lex assumed the worse but when he bent closer he could hear his soft breathing. He let his cell phone drop out of his hand and clatter to the floor. He sat on the floor next to Clark for a long time, just drinking everything in. Whatever just happened he knew finally that there was nothing medical science could do for him. He picked up his discarded phone and called for help.

* * *

When Clark woke hours later he felt like he was emerging from a haze. His whole body ached, his head was pounding and he felt incredibly nauseous. He tried to see if there was kryptonite nearby but he was afraid to move too much for fear of vomiting all over himself. He felt chilled and pulled the comforter up around his shoulders when it suddenly dawned on him that he wasn't in his own bed and he was no longer in the loft. He saw bolt upright; which set off a series of loud beeps and small blinking lights illuminating the darkness around him. He looked around and realized there were several monitors surrounding the bed, all with tubes and wires that were attached to various parts of his body. Where the hell was he? It looked like an ordinary room—a room that could easily have been in the mansion, with curtains lined the walls opposite him, and his bed was large and comfortable, but he didn't see a door, except for a narrow closet door to his right that was slightly ajar.

The last thing he remembered was being in incredible pain on the floor of the barn, with Lex kneeling over him...Lex must have brought him there. It felt like ice water had been injected into his veins at the realization. He frantically began ripping all the wires off of him and tried to sit up but the whole room tilted and he fell back against the pillows. Lex came hurrying in the room with two men in lab coats on his tail. It was then Clark saw the curtains actually hid a glass wall the slid open to allow Lex and his men to enter. Clark knew he had to get out of there.

"Don't try to move Clark, calm down."

Clark ignored him and tried to sit up, ignoring the spinning room. "Where am I?"

Lex turned to the two men and gestured for them to leave the room. The glass door opened and shut behind them automatically.

"Where am I Lex, what did you do to me?"

Lex looked at him coldly-all the concern of just a few moments ago quickly dissipating. He supposed it was too much to ask that Clark wake up and not immediately start throwing accusations. But he was obviously scared and confused, so Lex again tried to make concessions and quelled his sudden anger.

"Before you start accusing me of anything, why don;t you calm down and let me explain."

Clark's eyes showed a mixture of fear and anger, but he kept silent and let Lex continue.

"If you remember, you were screaming in excruciating pain on the floor of your loft, and when you passed out I didn't know what to do, so I brought you here."

Clark's eyes narrowed. "And why not a hospital."

"Is that really where you want to be Clark?"

Clark fell silent.

Lex began pacing. "And you may recall you begged me not to call an ambulance. Honestly after what I saw I knew no one at Smallville Medical could help you anyway."

Clark felt his heart racing, pounding in his chest. A cold sweat broke out across his forehead and he wondered if this is what an anxiety attack felt like.

"What you saw...?"

Lex nodded and started to pace like he was agitated. "It was like there was some sort of parasite attaching itself to your body. I've never seen anything like it, except in a horror film of course. When you lost consciousness I brought you here to see if my team could help."

Clark wiped his forehead and took a deep breath-he couldn't afford to panic now. "And where is here?"

"A medical facility I keep in Metropolis for special cases."

"You mean for experimenting on the meteor infected."

Lex sighed. "We won't go into how many people I've helped who have nowhere else to turn, besides we both know you're not a meteor freak."

Clark's eyes went wide, but he tried to remain calm. Lex noted the change in expression. Clark went to speak but Lex waved his hand dismissively.

"I'm not sure what you are, and since I'm not in the mood for one of your infamous lies, we'll worry about that later. But I am hoping you'll be able to shed some light on what we found inside your abdomen."

All pretenses left Clark and he looked truly terrified. His hand went to his stomach but it looked and felt normal.

"..inside..?"

Lex nodded, and Clark noticed for the first time that Lex wasn't really looking at him.

"We x-rayed you. I wanted to know what exactly was causing you so much pain. And I really wish you'd stop staring at me like I was some evil scientist out to slice you open. I'm trying to help you."

Clark was feeling light-headed again, but he tried to stay focused. Either Lex was telling the truth or his worse fear was about to be realized.

He hoped his voice sounded normal. "What did you find?"

"I've had them check the x-rays several times, but they keep coming up with the same answer. Whatever it is inside of you has created a cavity just above what I guess are your intestines, though they don't resemble any I've ever seen. Anyway, whatever it is looks like a first trimester fetus -they estimated about 10 weeks."

Clark looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "This isn't funny Lex."

Lex looked at him finally. "I wish i was joking."

Fear was spreading through him, but he wasn't falling for this. "You expect me to believe there's a fetus in my belly?"

"Believe what you want Clark, I know what I saw. We tried to get a tissue sample but any needle that got near it was quickly expelled."

Clark continued to stare at Lex refusing to believe what he was hearing. He knew very little about his species, but what he was hearing went against everything he did know. He had a mother and a father and he'd come from his mother he was sure of it. Men don't have fetuses in their stomachs. And other than the night with Lex he hadn't had sex in over a year. He shook his head-what he was contemplating was insane. Lex was just trying to rattle him.

Lex calmly pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Clark. It was a sonogram photo. Clark stared at it, but all he could make out was a bunch of black and white waves.

"This doesn't prove anything Lex."

Lex took it back. "I know, if we have your consent we'd like to take some 3D imaging to get a clearer picture."

Clark glared at him "You're not touching me!"

Lex glared back. "If you really don't know what's going on, and judging by your reaction, I'm guessing you don't-don't you want to know what we're dealing with here?"

The answer was a resounding 'no'. He didn't want to know because whatever it was couldn't be anything good. He felt incredibly weak, and it was different than exposure to kryptonite. He felt fatigued down to his very bones-he was listless and achy, like people had described having the flu to him, but this had to be worse. He sank deeper into the mattress and closed his eyes. He couldn't think of a worse predicament to be in. No matter how much he protested, if Lex was hell-bent on carving him open there was little he could do about it in his current state. The thought made his stomach turn and he opened his eyes, but immediately looked away from Lex's intense gaze.

Lex's face grew harder as he became increasingly fed up with Clark. He knew all the logical reasons Clark was behaving this way, but his reactions were always far too emotional when it came to Clark.

"Make a decision Clark, or I'll make it for you."

Clarks stomach did another flip flop and he suppressed a moan. "What does that mean?"

But Lex just looked at him icily, refusing to answer.

"What does that mean Lex? I mean what will you do?"

"I'm not repeating myself Clark."

Clark swallowed as he felt a small flutter in his belly. "You want to x-ray me, in 3D?"

Lex thought a moment. "No, I'm _going_ to x-ray you in 3D."

"But you said it was my decision."

"It was, but now I'm curious so that's what we're going to do."

Clark looked alarmed. "You can't just do whatever you want to me!"

Lex remained impassive. "If you can leave here on your own, be my guest. Until then, I'm going to alert my team. They;ll be back with the equipment in half an hour. Get some rest."

Lex turned without waiting for a response and walked out, sliding the door shut behind him.

Clark immediately sat up and tried to swing his legs out of bed. The movement caused the room to spin and he fell back against the pillows panting. His stomach obviously didn't like the sudden movement and throbbed painfully. Instinctively he put his hand on his stomach and it immediately warmed beneath his touch. Clark pushed the covers back and pulled up his shirt, but when he moved his hand, the pain returned. An eeriness washed over him as he slowly put his hand back on his stomach. Again the pain stopped and the warmth returned. What the hell was going on? He gently rubbed his stomach and the fluttering in his belly stopped. He removed his hand again, and this time the pain didn't return. The phrase a 'mother's soothing touch' entered his brain and he nearly screamed. It was a parasite, it had to be, not a fetus like Lex's blurry black and white photo attempted to illustrate. With a sharp pang he realized his own mother couldn't even help him now. He rolled over on his side and tried desperately to make his mind go blank. He didn't need to break down now, not when he needed to stay focused. In less than a week, he'd lost his mother and had sex with Lex Luthor, and now there was something seriously wrong with him, rendering him weak and as far as he could tell, completely powerless. To make matters worse he was at Lex's mercy, and even though they shared that bizarre moment on the floor of his loft, he didn't know how Lex truly felt about him, especially now that he had confirmation he wasn't like everyone else. No one could deal with all of that without losing their mind, and Clark needed his-so he had little choice but to bite back his tears, relax and try to rest. Maybe when he woke he'd be in his loft again with his mother in the kitchen making his favorite dinner.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Chapter 2**

* * *

Lex returned a half hour later as promised with the two men from earlier accompanying him. They'd returned not with scalpels, but a weird looking machine that they hovered over his abdomen. The whole process had taken less than ten minutes and they gathered the machine and walked out without a word. When Lex asked for the results within the hour, the taller of the two nodded and slipped out the door.

After they left, Lex kept silent for a moment, then walked over to a nearby table and picked up a cup of water. He walked over to Clark and handed it to him, which Clark gulped down greedily. He never remembered being so thirsty before. He said "Thank you" without thinking and Lex just nodded. For the first time he realized Lex looked exhausted, and his normally pristine appearance was a little unkempt. It occurred to him he didn't know what time it was, or even what day.

But Lex was the first to break the silence. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, just tired. How long was I out?"

"A little over twelve hours."

"So its tomorrow?"

Lex nodded, and rubbed the back of his neck.

Clark was beginning to feel the familiar guilt. "You've been up all night haven't you."

Lex nodded again. "I wanted to be sure you were going to wake up."

Clark didn't say anything for a long time. "I'm sorry Lex."

Lex looked at him and Clark saw a little warmth returning to his eyes. "Its fine Clark. I know you;re scared, and given our history you have every reason to be. But no matter our differences, I've never wanted to hurt you."

Clark looked away from him. "I guess I shouldn't have assumed you would." He didn't really believe that— while Lex may never have wanted to hurt him physically, he's definitely done his share of damage emotionally.

"So when will we know?"

Lex blinked a few times, looking even more tired than before. "Soon."

"And then..?"

"I don't know Clark, whatever it is, we'll find a way to take care of it."

So far Lex had avoided the implications of what exactly was in Clark's stomach. So his friend, enemy, whatever you wanted to call him, who he had sex with a few days ago, may have a fetus-a baby, in his belly. Of all the ways Lex imagined having proof of Clark's 'other-worldliness' this was not even close. Apparently Clark belonged to a species whose males were responsible for procreating. Like the fish he'd learned about a million years ago in high-school biology. Maybe Clark came from a race of fish. He really took a good look at Clark for the first time since he'd awakened, and he looked terrible. He was clammy and pale with the exception of his warmed cheeks, and there was this lifelessness in his eyes that was there the day of the funeral.

Lex had almost managed to forget Martha Kent was no longer in the world.

He'd had the unfortunate task of telling Clark the news. He did it via phone from Metropolis, which he regretted, but felt he had little choice. He wasn't sure if his presence would help or make matters worse. His father had loaned her the Luthorcorp jet back to Washington D.C after a visit to the farm, but Lex was the one that got the call when the plane went down over Roanoke, VA. He wished now he could have told Clark in person, but he didn't want to risk waiting and him finding out from the evening news. That phone call still chilled him, and he hoped he never experienced anything like it again. Clark's reaction wasn't what he expected. After asking him to repeat himself three times he got deadly silent, so silent Lex thought he'd left the phone. Finally Clark said very quietly 'thanks' then the line went dead. Lex remembered standing there a long time with the phone in his hand before making the decision to oversee the recovery himself.

There was very little to recover—the plane had exploded on impact into a dense forest of trees, igniting a fire that caused a 30 mile radius evacuation. Twisted metal and personal belongings littered the forest, and Lex decided that the only thing he could do was search the wreckage to find at least one thing to take back to Clark that belonged to his mother. Why it was so important to him, he wasn't sure, but acting and not thinking made all of it more bearable. The sun was just beginning to rise above the trees when he spotted a broken pearl necklace in the brush. He knew immediately it was the one Martha had worn everyday since her husband died. He'd seen it around her neck in countless press photos. When he picked it up he thought he glimpsed Clark in the clearing. He didn't know if it was extreme fatigue or just plain delusion, but even now he remembered the completely broken face of Clark standing at the edge of the forest watching the smoking wreck. When he looked up again to see if he was crazy-Clark was gone.

Now, he wasn't so sure it wasn't Clark.

Clark didn't answer him, but he realized now wasn't the time to discuss anything; they both needed rest.

"Get some sleep, I think I'll do the same. The results should be in by the time we wake, and then we'll know what we're dealing with."

Clark just closed his eyes. Whatever it was inside of him decided to become active again, only this time there was no pain. He gently rubbed his belly and the activity subsided. Well, whatever you are, I guess we'll find out soon enough.

"Its definitely a fetus."

Clark was sitting up in bed now, having successfully devoured the first meal he'd had in days. He'd awaken just over an hour ago completely ravenous, and pushed a weird buzzer-intercom thing next to his bed, hoping it could be used to summon people with food. Now the entire meal was threatening to come up as he stared blankly at a 3D image that looked like a human tadpole with arms and hands. He wondered how Lex managed to get that image, at least he wanted to wonder, the truth kept nagging in the back of his head—this wasn't some elaborate fabrication by Lex, it was real and it was—wrong.

The doctor, or whatever he was kept studying the photo he printed out, like it was the most normal thing in the world. He kept saying things like.."It looks like a 10-12 week fetus.." , " Though it definitely looks bigger than yesterday…" "Its too early to determine the sex.." Clark wanted to scream. Did it occur to them that this shouldn't even be happening? That he was most definitely male and males didn't have babies? Not in any species, except maybe amphibians and fish, and apparently kryptonians did males have babies—it was just wrong. Lex was pretending to be interested in the tediousness of determining the date of conception, but Clark could see his face becoming more and more of a mask as his sharp in takes of breath betrayed how he really felt—Lex was completely freaked out.

Clark's head was swimming. How could this have happened?

"How can you stand there and act like its perfectly normal that there's a baby inside of me?"

The two men in white jackets just turned and looked at him coolly like he'd just created some annoying disturbance. They looked to Lex and he jerked his head slightly indicating they should leave. Clark pulled the covers back and pushed the tray of food away.

Lex looked slightly alarmed "What are you doing?"

"I need to get out of this bed." He was panicking, he could feel it, he tried to control his emotions but they were all over the place. He still felt weak but he was determined his legs were going to work—he needed to get out of there. He maneuvered unsteadily on his legs past Lex.

"Clark, where are you going?"

"I'm going home."

"There's no one there Clark, and you're in no condition to be left alone."

He headed for the large glass doors that he discovered locked automatically and could only be accessed by a fingerprint. He tried fruitlessly to pry them open. His strength was completely gone, and he probably wasn't even stronger than Lex now. He stared at the doors intensely but nothing happened, not even a faint warmth behind his eyes.

Lex watched him and was beginning to wonder if all of this wasn't putting an incredible mental strain on him.

"Clark, what are you doing?"

He gave up and turned around "Open the door."

"I can't."

Clark was panting from the exertion and the baby in his belly was not happy. "You mean you won't"

"Right, I won't. Not until you're well, or after the baby is born—whichever comes first."

"I'm not having a baby Lex!"

"The sonogram says differently."

Clark just shook his head; he could feel himself giving up. "This isn't happening…"

Lex tried to focus and quell how disturbed he was by the whole situation. There had to be a reason this was happening, Lex didn't believe in coincidence, or things just randomly happening in life. It had to mean something that this happened just when he was forced back into Clark's life. And right after their relationship went to a place he never imagined possible. His mind worked for a moment, but he realized it wasn't possible—the fetus was at least 10 weeks old and he and Clark slept together just over a week ago. He almost laughed out loud at the idea he was wondering if he had fathered Clark's child.

Lex walked over to him and took his arm, gently, but firmly guiding him back to the bed. To his surprise Clark didn't resist. He sat on the side of the bed and let his head drop and whispered.

"I'm a freak."

Lex couldn't disagree, but he was sure Clark didn't need confirmation right now. "You're not, you're just….well you won't tell me what you are, but its definitely unique."

Clark shook his head. "I don't know what I am."

Lex narrowed his eyes. "Is that true?"

Clark nodded. "I thought I knew…but maybe I don't know anything. I'm very tired Lex."

"Is the baby doing this to you?" He always remembered Clark to be exceptionally strong, and now he could barely stand on his own.

"I think so….I feel so weak, I hate feeling like this…God Lex a baby.."

It was the first time Clark had spoken like the old Clark—just a young friend looking to him for answers.

"Well, it could be worse."

Clark frowned. "Yeah, how?"

"Have you ever seen Alien?"

Clark went to laugh but that word stopped him dead. He looked at Lex, but it was too late to hide his expression. They just stared at each other for a long moment, each one reading the other like a well-worn book. He knew. He didn't have to say it, Clark knew his reaction told him everything he needed to know.

"Get some rest Clark."

He didn't say another word and slipped out the door.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Chapter 3**

* * *

Over the next few days Clark fluctuated between feeling weak and nauseous, then ravenous and restless. Lex had someone bring a television into his room the following day, and he spent most of his time flipping channels not really settling on anything and being very careful not to land on the channel that showed non-stop shows about babies and pregnancy. When he got bored he thought about asking for his laptop, or maybe some of his books, but what he needed most was to get his strength back so he could go to the fortress and talk to Jor-el. He must know something about this. His belly was changing daily as the fetus became more active. His stomach once rippled with muscles was now smooth and flat and the skin was pale and almost translucent with a pattern of small veins snaking out in every direction. It felt weird, almost rubbery and cool to the touch, and it was really disgusting. So far he hadn't come to terms with the fact there was a living being inside him. He didn't want to think of it as being his, or part of him, not yet, for now it was just this thing reminding him he didn't belong on earth, and he wasn't even close to being human.

He was sitting hunched over the side of the bed when Lex walked in and seemed completely unaware of his presence. Lex hoped the sound of the door's soft swoosh as it closed would rouse him. As soon as the door shut, Clark looked up at Lex briefly but returned to his former position. Lex sighed—he never knew what sort of mood Clark would be in anymore.

"I sent someone over to the barn to collect your mail. Most of it is condolence cards about your Mother."

It was if something snapped Clark back to reality. "Oh My God, the farm!"

He jumped up on unsteady legs and immediately and started looking wildly about the room presumably for his clothes.

"How could I have just completely forgotten about it?"

He'd been so wallowing so deep in worry and self-pity he'd forgotten his biggest commitment and responsibility. He made his way over to the closet and to his relief his clothes were hanging neatly inside.

"Clark relax…"

He shook his head and grabbed the wall to keep from falling. "I have to get home!"

"Clark, stop. I took care of it. I talked to a neighbor of yours, Mr. Hubbard, and told him to hire a couple of extra hands to look after the farm. He agreed to supervise as long as he was needed. He said retirement doesn't agree with him. I stopped by this morning and things seem to be moving along nicely."

He was so relieved he almost teared up, but he took a deep breath and held them back. His emotions were so close to the surface lately, and he wasn't sure if it was grief or stress. He waited until he trusted his voice before he spoke.

"Thank you Lex. Thank you so much."

"I know how much that farm means to you—especially now. It's the least I can do. Go sit down before you fall down. I'll ask Mr. Hubbard to call you if that will make you feel better."

Clark nodded as he went back over to the bed and sank into it. He knew the being in his belly wasn't going to be happy about all the moving around.

"I really appreciate this Lex."

"Nothing you wouldn't do for me."

Clark managed a small smile, realizing that was true. No matter their differences, if Lex needed him, he'd be there.

He laid there silently for a few moments and Lex took that as his cue to leave, but Clark stopped him.

"Lex…"

He turned and looked at him.

"Something is happening…to my stomach."

Lex walked over to his side, and Clark tentatively lifted his shirt. It shouldn't have shocked him, but it did. Clark's rippled golden skin was gone; in its place was a strange expanse of smooth, pale, veiny skin. It looked so fragile he was afraid to touch it, and it pulsed faintly in time to what he guessed was a tiny heartbeat below the surface.

Lex swallowed hard. "When did this happen?"

"I just noticed it yesterday…"

Lex nodded, unable to take his eyes off Clark's abdomen.

"I need some answers."

"We're working as fast as we can Clark, but my team is as perplexed as you."

He slipped his shirt back down. "Not from you…from my father."

Lex looked concerned now; maybe he'd overestimated how well Clark was handling all this.

"Clark…your Dad is.."

Clark shook his head. "No, my real Dad."

Lex never thought beyond finding out what Clark 'was', and whether or not he was actually from this earth. He never stopped to consider that he had to come from somewhere—that someone or something had given birth to him.

"You know your birth parents?"

How did he even begin to explain? "No, I mean…sort of. They're dead, but my father left behind…a record, of guidance I guess you'd call it."

Lex wasn't following, but he could feel his pulse quickening with excitement. He was getting close.

"He left what, a video? I don't understand."

Clark sighed, no matter what he said it wasn't going to make sense.

"Its hard to explain. He's no longer alive, but he left behind…an AI, but more than that. Look Lex, just trust me, its not going to make any sense."

Lex moved closer. "Try me."

"I wouldn't know where to begin. I've never had to explain Jor-el before." The name tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

"Your father's name is Jorel?"

Clark felt the instinctive panic and shut down. He needed to remember whom he was talking to.

"I don't want to talk about this."

Lex's eyes became cold again. He marveled at how quickly Clark could shut himself up, like some invisible wall controlled by a switch in his brain suddenly sprang up–but he wasn't going to walk away, not this time.

"You don't have anyone else Clark, do you understand? You only have me."

Clark looked at him defiantly. "That's not true."

"Who do you have then? Chloe? Do you really think she can help you with this? I don't' care if you've told her everything."

Clark's jaw grew tighter. "Leave Chloe out of this Lex."

"Your fear, pride, or whatever this is can't help you now. Whether you like it or not, I'm all you have, its time you face that."

Clark's stomach clenched. "Leave me alone Lex…..God…" he moaned loudly and suddenly went white as a sheet.

Lex ran over to him, Clark looked like he did that right before he passed out in the barn

"Clark what is it? Let me see."

Clark was writhing in pain and his eyes were wide and looked terrified. "Lex please…please do something!"

Lex hit the buzzer next to Clark's bed to summon his team and held Clark down to get him to keep still, but Clark screamed—his touch seemed to increase the pain and he let go. He carefully lifted Clark's tee, making sure not to touch his skin. He forced himself not to jump back at what he saw. Clark's stomach was transforming before his eyes. The baby inside was moving and under the translucent skin he could see the outline of the fetus changing and growing. But the image was getting fainter as a sack seemed to be weaving itself around the baby, and Clark's belly was being pushed forward to accommodate it.

Lex stared in horror unable to move, and he knew his team had arrived behind him and were too frozen on the spot unsure of what to do.

The pain was unbearable and he just wished someone would cut the thing out of him to make it stop. No one seemed to be willing to do anything to help, or they couldn't. He moved a shakey hand to his abdomen, hoping that would stop what was going on, or at least ease the pain. But nothing happened. He thought his whole body was going to split in two the pain was so bad, and he fought not to scream, but nothing made any sense anymore, he could feel his brain shutting down, and his whole being was nothing but pain. Then it stopped as suddenly as it had begun.

Clark was still panting and tried to sit up to look at his transformed belly, but he didn't feel like he could move. There was no pain at all now, but he could feel himself slipping away as the room receded around him. He saw shadows standing over him and heard faint voices all around him but he couldn't make out a single word. Whatever was happening to him, it felt peaceful and right and he allowed himself to be carried away.

Clark went perfectly still. His skin was deathly pale and for a moment Lex feared the worse. He bent down closer to Clark's chest, moving closer until he finally heard a very faint heartbeat. He whipped around at the two other men in the room angrily.

"Are you going to just stand there looking completely useless? Get over here and do something."

The first man spoke, his usual calm demeanor beginning to crack. "I'm afraid Mr. Luthor this is out of our expertise. I know nothing about pregnancy and babies. My studies have been in genetic mutations only. I don't know if I can help this particular subject."

He was growing impatient. The last thing he wanted was for Clark to die in his care. "If you value your lives you'll figure out a way to help him."

He ignored Lex's threats, becoming more indignant and little exasperated.

"Mr. Luthor, I cannot produce a miracle just because you demand it. We'll monitor him and the baby inside, and do what we can, but beyond that there isn't much we can do."

"I don't want to hear anymore excuses. Results and answers are all I want from either of you."

Neither man answered him, but went to hook up the monitoring equipment so they could get an accurate reading on Clark's vitals. They'd never experienced a meteor freak so completely mutated that he had become another species before. They both thought the best thing for Lex to do would be to exterminate the subject and study him, though they were curious to see how the abnormal pregnancy played out.

Lex cautiously went to touch Clark's arm, to see if his skin was cold, but a powerful surge ripped through him when he touched Clark's skin. Lex jumped away from the bed holding his arm.

"What happened?"

Lex didn't answer for a few moments—he just stared at Clark's lifeless body.

"Keep the equipment away from him. I think he's fine."

* * *

**Chapter 4: Chapter 4**

* * *

For two weeks straight Clark didn't move. His muscles didn't twitch, not even his eyelids fluttered. Lex would have thought him dead if it weren't for the ever-present heartbeat and shallow breathing. The thing inside of him continued to grow stronger as Clark lay trapped in whatever state he was in. Lex sometimes sat in the room for hours late at night, just waiting—for what he didn't know, but as time progressed he was beginning to wonder if Clark would ever come back. He'd never allow himself to examine why it was so important to him that Clark come out of this. He'd always assumed what he felt for Clark was obsession, but that night in the barn all of him burned with this overwhelming need for him, and Clark had completely handed himself over to him. If it was love, it was a dysfunctional love. Whatever it was it seemed they would always be bound to each other—even in hate Clark's presence had never left him. And now things between them were different. Always with them it was circumstances beyond their control that threw them together. Lost of control was the very reason they met for the first time, and after they had splintered apart, it was another accident that had thrown them back into each other's lives. Lex guessed there was no point in denying destiny.

His team came in periodically to check on Clark, but they weren't allowed to touch him. Clark's body wouldn't allow it anyway. Anytime someone attempted to touch him, the same powerful electrical surge Lex experienced was released. It was if the baby had taken him over and Clark's sole purpose now was to protect it. After the first couple of days his team declared that Clark was "cocooning" and it must be a critical stage of the fetus's development. He noticed his team could detach themselves and view Clark only as a test subject—a skill he needed in them when he was conducting his research on the meteor infected in his quest to create the perfect super human—but now it only disturbed him and caused him to limit their time around Clark.

Lex glanced at the clock. It was 2am on the 15th day since Clark had fallen into his deep sleep. He was beyond exhausted and had spent the last couple of hours just staring blankly at Clark's unchanging figure. The image was so engrained in his head he didn't notice that it had begun to change. The whole situation was getting more and more eerie as the days wore on, and now Clark's room reminded him of a morgue. It was depressing and he'd had enough for one evening. Maybe it was time to take a vacation away from all of this.

Just as he rose to leave he heard a faint rustling of the sheets. He stopped dead and leaned in closer to look at Clark. His once pale face was slowly coloring and the bright red cheeks he had always associated with Clark were returning. But more than that, he was moving—shifting under the sheets as the color of his skin deepened with each passing moment until it was its usual golden hue.

Lex leaned in closer. "Clark?"

His eyes moved beneath his eyelids as if he were trying to open them. Lex waited, growing more relieved and excited as Clark's body continued to come alive. He stood there and waited, staring at Clark's face until Clark's eyes were looking back at him. Lex suppressed a small smile.

"Welcome back."

He didn't respond right away. Lex sounded like he stood at the far end of a tunnel and the whole room was darkly framed around him. It seemed like his whole world shifted and he'd awaken into a new place. He tested his limbs first and slowly moved his head to look around the room. He wondered how long he'd been asleep; he remembered nothing since disappearing after a long bought of excruciating pain-for all he knew only minutes may have passed.

"How long…?" His voice sounded thick and groggy, like it hadn't been used in days.

" 2 weeks—almost 15 days."

He should have been alarmed about missing 2 weeks of his life, but he wasn't. His life had been in limbo for a while now.

"How do you feel?"

He felt different, hazy but strong, and he knew instinctively that his powers had returned.

"Fine… pretty good actually."

He placed a hand on his belly, like it was the most natural thing in the world to do. The tiny body inside of him warmed him now and caused him no pain; it was if it was finally at rest and would allow him to resume his normal life as long as he vowed to protect it.

"I think I want to get up."

Lex gently placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"I don't' think that's wise. You've been in a near coma for a couple of weeks."

"Then I'm well rested."

Clark shrugged Lex's hand away and tested his muscles. He sat up easily and the fogginess of just a few moments ago was quickly dissipating. He climbed out of bed and was relieved to feel his strength returning. He ignored Lex who kept eyeing him curiously and went over the closet, but his clothes weren't there.

"Where are my things?"

Lex missed a beat he'd been looking at him so intensely.

"I had them laundered. You're feeling completely ok? What about the…fetus?"

Clark looked down for the first time at his now swollen belly. It wasn't very large—not bigger than if he'd just consumed a large meal and he thought a plaid shirt would hide it sufficiently, it only poked out a little beneath his tee

"I don't know, I can still feel it moving, but it feels less strange. "

His main concern now was getting out of there and getting to the fortress and asking Jor-el what the hell was happening to him—not answering more of Lex's questions that he knew were about to get a lot more prying.

"Where are you going exactly?"

Clark looked at him like he was nuts. "Home of course."

"I don't think its wise for you to be alone on that farm in your…condition."

He was getting impatient. "I'll be fine. I don't know how this happened, but plenty of women manage to exist just fine with a baby inside of them." His stomach turned a little at the thought.

Lex was quickly growing angry and frustrated with him. Why were they ever friends exactly?

"But you're not a woman Clark, and whether or not you'll admit it, you're obviously not human. You just in a coma for 2 weeks, we don't know what going to happen next—you can't be alone."

Clark was amazed at the intensity in Lex's voice. Whatever took place over the past 2 weeks had taken its toil on Lex. Now that he looked him, the worry and fatigue was etched plainly on his face, but he refused to believe Lex simply cared about him—he couldn't let his guard down, not yet.

"I am alone. You said so yourself, and I have to learn to cope on my own. Besides where would I stay, here?"

"You;ve been here all this time."

"I want to be home Lex. I need to be around what I know right now."

"Then stay at the mansion. My staff can see to your needs."

Clark shook his head. "The less people who know about this the better. I'd ask you not to tell anyone, but somehow I know you won't"

Lex looked at him wearily. "So you finally decided to trust me?"

Clark didn't say anything, because he knew the real reason would sound ungrateful, but his silence was enough for Lex.

He walked past him. "I'll have someone bring you your clothes." He flipped a button near the door and simply said "Bring his things." He went to walk out the door but stopped.

"Did you ever stop to think this baby may have something to do with me?"

Clark looked incredulous. "What? No, I mean how.."

"Your parents never gave you the talk Clark?"

He could feel his skin growing hotter as images of Lex pounding into him as he lay naked on the barn floor came rushing back to him.

"But…that was just 3 weeks ago, I mean that's impossi…"

Lex just looked at him. Did he even need to bring up the fact that him carrying a baby at all was pretty damn near impossible?

"Lex, I can't-" the door opened and one of the many servants clad in asian garb entered the room carrying his neatly folded clothes. He'd have to ask Lex why all this servants had to dress like that-probably something to do with a film he was obsessed with. The man laid the clothes carefully on the bed and exited without even glancing in their direction. Clark went over to his clothes immediately, pulling off his shirt. He caught sight of himself in the full-length mirror across the room. He had a beer paunch, and he hated it. He'd never really thought about his body before, it never required any attention-it just was, and now...he turned away quickly fully aware Lex was watching him.

"Its not that big."

Clark shrugged and slipped his white tee over his head. "I don't care."

"I just mean, i don't understand how the baby is fitting in there."

Clark pulled his plaid shirt on and dropped the loose pajama pants that he just noticed had changed color since he last remembered.

"Didn't you x-ray me enough when I was out? I'm sure you know."

Lex glared at him. "What do i have to do to convince you I'm only trying to help. If I wanted to slice you open I could have done it while you were in a fucking coma for 2 weeks! I'd have your various parts in half a dozen labs by now!"

He was being unfair, he knew he was being unfair and he was silently admonishing himself for not being more appreciative of everything Lex had done for him, but he desperately just wanted to get out of there.

"Lex, I'm sorry, I am. I just...I just want to go. I do know you've done everything you can to help me, I understand that. But I just want to go home now that I feel better. I'm not saying that if you show up on the farm I'll kick you off. I have a lot to figure out and I just need some peace and familiar surroundings-please understand."

Lex sighed. Clark had grown as stubborn as his father. "I wish you would at least agree to stay at the mansion. Your mother-"

Clark cut him off. "I know my mother is gone, but i've been living on the farm on my own for a while now, since Lana left. I'll be fine."

He just needed to keep moving. He'd gone into auto-pilot and he was being rude, he knew it, but he wasn't ready to face any of this—not yet. He needed the simplicity of the farm; needed to know it was still there, that something of his former life was. He'd spent too long surrounded by tubes and monitors and cold people in white lab coats. He turned away and slipped his jeans on praying they still fit. He was suddenly grateful of his habit of wearing jeans that were too big when they buttoned around his swollen belly without a hitch.

He walked to the door. "Thank you for everything. I don't know if this has anything to do with you, but I'll find out." Then he realized the door wasn't going to open for him.

"It's locked."

"I'm sure you've noticed by now you need a code to go in and out of here."

Clark looked at him angrily. "Open the door Lex."

Lex didn't move. If Clark couldn't come to a reasonable conclusion on his own, he'd have to take control.

"Lex, give me the code!"

Lex continued to stand there silently.

"Lex, if I really want to get out of this room, I can. Don't make me do that."

But he knew that'; what Lex was doing. He was silently and defiantly saying if you want to get out of here, you'll have to do it on your own, and you'll have to take a risk for once in your life.

"Lex please.."

Lex looked tired and he spoke very matter-of-factly. "If you want to leave, leave. You said yourself I can't stop you. But don't even think of hiding from me Clark."

"I'm not going to hide from anyone, I just want to go home!"

Lex gestured simply towards the glass doors. "Then go."

Clark stood there for a long moment, and they both just glared directly into each others eyes. Then Clark gave up, he knew Lex wasn't backing down. He walked over to the door and pulled the glass door open, but in his anger he pulled to hard and the door shattered within its steel frame. Lex jumped back to dodge the splatter of broken glass, and when he looked up again, Clark was gone.

* * *

The farm was quieter than he remembered. It was just after dusk when he arrived home and the workers had all gone home. The cattle were resting in the fields and the horses were neighing softly in the stable. He stood in front of the yellow house for a long time, just drinking it in, letting the full realization hit him that he was the last surviving Kent. His father would never again swing a tractor through those fields and his mother would never again smile brightly with her hair shining in the sun from the porch. His stomach clinched but he knew it had nothing to do with the baby inside of him—his knees buckled and he sat down on the soft dirt just staring straight ahead, seeing nothing.

He sat there for a long time, til everything darkened around him. When he looked up again a sea of stars framed the sky. He thought of a planet that belonged in that empty space between two constellations and the parents that belonged in that house. It'd finally happened—the thing he most feared but knew was inevitable, but he thought he'd have more time. He felt his chest heave like all the air had been sucked out of him. His violent sobs shook the ground beneath him and he thought his whole body would collapse with the force, but he couldn't stop. He wrapped his arms around himself and fell on the ground and just lay there letting his grief takeover. He didn't try to hold himself together; there was no one around to hear his crying. Just one man standing under the sign-post, watching unseen in the dark.

* * *

He must have fallen asleep. He didn't know when the sobbing stopped and sleep had taken over but the sky was a pale indigo now, rimmed in golds and reds. He slowly moved his head off of the ground and he could feel the mud caked on his cheeks from the soft soil mixing with his incessant tears. He touched his belly as if he expected it to suddenly be gone. But he guessed a long drawn out dream was too much to hope for. He brushed the dirt out of his hair and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the dark figure sitting on the porch steps watching him.

"I didn't want to disturb you. Besides I don't think I could lift you if I tried."

Clark stood up. "What are you doing here Lex?"

"I wanted to make sure you were alright. And obviously you're not."

"I'm …" He just stopped, sleeping on the dirt path in front of his house after sobbing all night was not fine.

"You owe me a glass door."

"I'm sorry Lex, you didn't really leave me with a choice, but I guess that was the plan."

Lex nodded. "It was. So you're very strong and very fast. Are all your people like that?"

"I don't have any people."

"You must have come from somewhere. Who is this father you spoke of?"

Clark walked past him and went up the porch steps, but he wasn't ready to go inside yet. "He's dead, they all are….all my parents are." He took a deep a breath—he'd done enough crying for a lifetime.

Lex got up and stood next to him on the porch. "Is this is close to an admission as I'm going to get?"

Clark nodded and looked out across the fields. "I should tell Mr. Hubbard I'm back and thank him. But I need to see Jor el first."

"Jor el is your dead father?"

"Yes."

"I always knew you were special Clark."

Something very close to a smile appeared on Clark's face. "I'd make you coffee, but I really have to go."

"Then I'll come with you."

Clark moved to the steps, avoiding looking in the kitchen window. "No, you can't. Its complicated, but its not really safe for…you. Are you staying?"

Lex looked surprised that Clark seemed to want him to stay. He imagined the reality of being on the farm alone was a lot different than he imagined.

"Sure. I'll have someone send over breakfast."

Clark shook his head and actually smiled this time. "Cracking an egg is good for you Lex. I'll be back." This time he didn't wait for Lex to be distracted and he broke into a full run right in front of him. Lex stared in amazement as his black coat billowed around him from the breeze. Reality really was very different.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Chapter 5**

* * *

The fortress was dark when he entered, and he immediately feared the worse. Twice before the fortress had been damaged or Jor el had simply refused to answer him, and right now he needed him. He walked towards the large cluster of smaller crystals jutting out, hoping there was a way to revive the fortress. But as he neared the console, the fortress came to life.

"I am sorry for your loss Kal el"

He wanted to ask "How did you know?" but Jor el knew everything. He wished he understood how it all worked. Was he a god on earth—his own personal god? It felt that way. He could manipulate his life from a disembodied voice and control his destiny, while remaining remote, cold and powerful. Clark shuddered a little wondering if knew of another event in his life.

"I didn't come here to talk about that…I've come for another reason."

"Yes I know. How did this happen Kal el?"

He was relieved that he at least didn't see that. "I don't know, I was hoping you could tell me. Why was I never told this could happen to me?"

"It was information I never thought you would need. There is only one way this can happen. I've never seen it come to fruition because our people would need to be on the brink of extinction for it to occur. But there were tales of it happening long ago in our history. When our people are in danger of disappearing, anyone who is penetrated during intercourse will be able to bear a child, both males and females. It's a survival instinct of a highly evolved race. You are the last of our kind and the only one on earth. That is the only way this could have happened."

Clark felt light-headed. So it was because of that night with Lex. He felt like screaming at the injustice of having his life turned upside-down because of a moment of weakness. And to add to it, he had to stand there and admit to his father, or whatever he was that he'd had sex with Lex and had allowed him to penetrate him.

"Is that what happened?"

Clark knew his face was bright red, and he said with as much bravery as he could muster "Yes."

There was silence, and for a moment Clark thought he'd never speak to him again. But when he did it was with a finality only Jor el could deliver.

"You cannot have this child."

Clark hadn't expected that. He hadn't accepted the child as a living being long enough to even question what would happen when the child was finally born. He would have someone who was a part of him, something he never thought he'd be able to have. More importantly he'd never have to be alone again.

"Why?"

"You are not the same as you would have been on Krypton. The child's only mission right now is to survive at any cost. There is no way for the child to leave your impenetrable skin without destroying you the process. If you allow this child to be born, it could cost you your life."

Of course. Of course this would be the outcome because nothing in his life is ever simple. He never considered how the child would leave his body, and it had done considerable damage as it adjusted his insides to fit its needs so far.

"I can't do that, and I wouldn't know how."

"I will remove it for you."

"No! no, you can't! You're not even sure I'll die. I might be fine and this might be my only chance to have a child of my own."

"You disappointment me Kal el. But I will allow the choice to be yours, but make it wisely. Use your head, not your fear of loneliness."

He didn't know if Jor el finally decided there was no point in arguing with him about his greater purpose but he was relieved that he at least allowed the decision to be his.

The fortress went eerily silent and he knew Jor el was finished with him. He exited the Fortress with a new bond to the child he carried but with an overwhelming fear that maybe he'd made the wrong decision—one that could end in his death and his only child being raised by a Luthor.

* * *

When he arrived back home, the first thing he smelled was the delicious mix of warm maple and butter, with the sweet smell of cinnamon. For just a moment he got elated thinking his mother had made a surprise visit, but quickly reminded himself that was no longer possible. He stared at the door for a moment, then quickly turned the handle. Unless he intended to live in the barn, he needed to face it sooner than later. Lex was barking orders to someone over the phone when he walked in. He stood there for a moment watching him when it hit him that he would be a father—like his father, and so would Lex. How could he tell him? How could he explain that the baby inside of him would have two fathers and no mother? Though, he supposed he was the mother.

Lex ended his call when he saw him "How did it go?"

"After we eat. Did your staff prepare all this?" He looked at the spread of waffles, fruit, omelets, bacon, sausage, and various pastries.

Lex nodded and sat down. "Yes, I couldn't remember exactly what you liked, so I told them to bring as much as they could. You were gone a while."

"I'm never sure of how much time passes when I'm there."

Lex looked up cautiously. "Where?"

Clark stacked 2 waffles on top of his plate and reached for the sausage and said nothing.

"Another one of those things you can't talk about." Lex wasn't particularly hungry and left his plate empty.

"Its just…I'll explain when I know how to explain it. You don't need to know everything you know."

Lex picked up some of the fruit, then dropped it back on the plate. This pretending at domestic bliss was wearing thin. If Clark had answers he wanted them now.

"What did your father say?"

Clark had a mouthful of waffles. He was suddenly very hungry. "I told you, after breakfast."

"I want to know now."

"No, you want control. Just be patient Lex, I really do need to talk to you about it and I promise I will"

Lex continued to sit there in silence watching Clark devour 4 waffles, 6 pieces of bacon, 4 sausages, one omelet and a bunch of fruit—he guessed he was saving the muffins for later.

"Do you normally eat this much?"

Clark looked puzzled and nodded. "I haven't eaten in two weeks, remember?"

So Lex waited until Clark was full, resisting the urge to snatch him across the table and demand the truth. Finally Clark's appetite was sated and he cleared the table—Lex swore he did to deliberately make Lex wait just a bit longer.

"If you're finished being domestic, I'd like you to tell me what you found out."

"I don't have a staff Lex, if I don't clean the dishes they won't get cleaned."

"The dishes can wait. What did he say."

Clark put the dishes on the counter and took a deep breath. What he was about to say would change everything—his life, Lex's life and their relationship. It seemed too weighty a subject to just blurt out in the middle of a kitchen, but there was really no choice.

"You were right. It wasn't an immaculate conception. What happened between us is what caused it…so technically I guess we're going to be fathers." He decided to omit that Jor el said he could die in the process.

For once Lex was speechless. It was what he expected, but to hear it and for it to now be a reality was more shocking than he realized. If someone told him a month ago he'd be fathering Clark Kent's child he'd have called them insane—and it was insane, completely insane. He needed explanations—to hell with Clark's evasiveness and unwillingness to share his secret. He wanted to know why he was suddenly involved in a complete freak of nature.

"How is this possible? And I want the truth."

"Lex..I don't—"

"I mean it Clark."

There really wasn't much point of trying to hide it now. "Its…it's a trait of my—of my species. I didn't know about it, I swear, and apparently its an extremely rare occurrence."

"And what species is that?"

Clark could feel the room closing in on him, but it was just anxiety. "Kryptonian."

Lex could feel his pulse quickening—this was the moment, finally. "…and that is?"

Clark gripped the counter and a piece of it crumbled and fell to the floor.

"An alien race. I'm the last surviving member—Its why this happened—survival of the species."

Lex's eyes followed the debris to the floor, afraid to look at Clark, because he knew he'd never be able to tear his eyes away, trying to discern just where Clark Kent wasn't human.

"Is this your natural form?"

Anger flashed across Clark's face. "What? Do you think I can peel back my skin and reveal something green and scaly underneath? You've seen every part of me Lex, you tell me what my natural form is."

"You can't blame me Clark. You tell me you're an alien, what am I supposed to think?"

"I tell you you're going to be a father and you ask me about scales? I'm just as human as you are, and the same person you've always known. If you don't believe that, then get out."

Lex knew he was focusing on the wrong thing. Maybe it was the fact that Clark had finally told him what he'd spent so long digging for and obsessing about, and the more pressing matter was too big to comprehend.

"I'm sorry Clark, it's a lot to take in."

"How do you think I feel?"

Lex started pacing. He wished he were in the mansion, or his office, some place that grounded him and put him in control. He always felt completely incongruous with the quaintness of the Kent kitchen. He felt awkward and out of his depth, which is not what was needed. But survival means being able to adapt to any situation and turn it to your advantage. He needed to get a handle on all of this somehow. Clark stood there looking very young as he often did when he was confused or scared. Those eyes so easily narrowed into angry points of steel were now as wide and glassy as an injured puppy. It'd always been hard for Lex to resist that look even when he thought he hated him; though he'd never let Clark know.

"So, you're an alien and we're having a baby." Clark nodded.

"What will the kid be? Will it be human like me, or alien like you?"

The panic was rising again. "I don't know."

"How exactly does it get out of there?"

Clark paused. "I don't know."

"Didn't you ask?"

"He doesn't know Lex, he's never seen it happen before, and I'm different than I would be on my home planet."

Lex had made a full circle around the kitchen island and Clark really wished he'd stay still.

"Different how?"

"On my planet, I'd be no different than you—no special abilities, but there's something about the sun here that altered me, so I'm invulnerable and strong—among other things. I don't know why I lost all my abilities when the child was first conceived, or why I fell into that coma. Honestly Lex, I don't know much more than you do, except the kid is mine…and yours."

Lex started pacing again. This was his chance—as insane as this all was, its the chance he'd always wanted.

He looked at Clark sharply. "If you think you're going to cut me out of the child's life you're mistaken."

Clark looked confused. "I never said I was."

"I know you Clark. You'll take some moral high ground and say its for the good of the child—that you're protecting it."

"Lex I never said anything. These are your words, not mine. I don't know what we're going to do, and neither do you, so stop it."

A new determination was coming over Lex. "I want this child."

Clark looked at him, but didn't respond.

"Clark, we—"

"Stop it Lex. I'm not doing this now."

"We have to talk about this Clark, whether we like it or not, we're in this together."

Clark sighed, he was so tired now and just wanted to go lie down. "Lex you're being paranoid, I never said I didn't want you to be a part of this. I can't do this on my own… I don't want to. I can't"

Jor el's words echoed in his head, and though he'd never voice all he could think was, someone has to take care of the baby when I die

Lex needed to think. Right now if Clark decided to do all of this on his own, there was little Lex could do to stop him. Clark held all the cards right now and he didn't like feeling so out of control—it'd been too long since he felt that way. But more than that, he wanted them to be more than just two people in complete opposition to each other who clumsily created a new life together. As stubborn as Clark was, they've have to find a way to some common ground.

"Fine, I know its been a rough time for you and we won't discuss it now, but I want you to at least consider staying at the mansion. None of this is comfortable for me."

"Maybe its time for you to trust me Lex. I promise you I won't take this away from you, and my word will just have to be enough. I'm going to the loft to lie down."

"Isn't your bed upstairs?"

Clark glanced up the back staircase. "Not yet…I'm just not ready."

Lex needed to remember that Clark was grieving on top of everything else. "Ok. I'm going back to the mansion. I'll be back to check on you later, but call me if you need anything at all, or if anything changes—however small."

Clark nodded and went out the door. Lex walked out onto the porch and watched Clark walk slowly towards the barn. His usually proud gait that often made him resemble an action figure come to life, had gone a little limp. All this time he wanted to see Clark's defiantly strong figure break, and now that he moved so dispassionately he wanted to see the old Clark back.

For now, he'd have to return to the mansion, and give his team strict orders to deliver all the data they had collected on Clark, and to set up a facility there as soon as possible. He had no idea what Clark would need when the baby arrived and wanted to be as prepared as possible.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Chapter 6**

* * *

The farm was silent and lonelier that Clark thought he could bear. Most days he spent in the barn after taking care of the animals, while leaving the field tending to the workers. Lex showed up everyday as promised, but never stayed very long, and always mentioned how comfortable he would be at the mansion before he headed back. He didn't know why he was so stubbornly refusing to stay there. He hated being alone all the time, and looking at that little yellow house just depressed him. So far he'd only been to the mansion to for dinner, though he'd skipped it the last couple of days—in fact he hadn't eaten anything in over 48 hrs. It worried Lex as much as it worried him, but nothing else seemed to be changing, not even the size of his paunch. He didn't feel sick at all, he just had no appetite, and since he didn't actually need food to live, maybe there was no immediate danger.

But he knew something would happen soon, and it terrified him. This morning he was far antsier than usual. He hadn't slept at all and he found himself alternating between looking at his watch and his cell phone, wondering when would be a respectable time to show up at the mansion. It wasn't even breakfast hour yet. He made up his mind as soon as the sun started peaking over the fields that this would be his last morning on the farm. His few belongings, no more than a handful of jeans, t-shirts, flannels and pictures from his table; were packed in a small bag. He hoped the invitation was still open.

As soon as he saw the workers filing in from the road, he picked up his cell phone, but couldn't bring himself to call Lex. It was stupid, but it was almost like he was giving in. So he decided to take the direct approach and headed toward the mansion in a blur.

* * *

He walked into Lex's office unannounced, but lost his bravado somewhere near the door, ruining the effect completely by standing there sheepishly with his bag on the floor next to him. Lex looked up from his laptop, and said casually. "So I see you decided to take me up on my offer."

Clark nodded; relieved Lex didn't make more of it, and moved into the room. Unseen hands swept his bag away before he even noticed they'd entered the room.

"I hope that's Ok. Things are too quiet on the farm and I think…well, maybe its getting close.."

Lex shut his laptop. "Did something happen?"

Clark shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

"Have you eaten?"

"I'm ok Lex, I'm just not hungry. I didn't mean to interrupt you while you're working."

Lex got up from the table; he really didn't think Clark looked well.

"You're looking pale again, you sure you feel Ok?"

"I feel fine, I don't know, maybe I do need food, I've never tested it."

Lex had been painstakingly going over all the collected data on Clark all morning; all the results from blood samples they gathered during his stay, and the full body scans they did while he lay motionless for 2 weeks. But whenever Clark walked in and offhandedly made a statement like that, he knew he was still so far away from unraveling the complete mystery.

"You don't need food?"

Clark shrugged. "I don't know, I mean there was only one thing that would kill me that I know of, and it wasn't starvation."

"And now?"

"And now what?"

"You spoke in the past tense, did something change?"

Clark bit his lip; he could feel a new swell of anxiety. "Nothing changed, I don't know why I said it like that. So, do I pick a room, or is there a specific one I should take?"

Lex eyed him, he knew a classic Clark evasion when he heard one. "I seriously hope there isn't something you're not telling me. I need as much information as possible to insure your safety through this. Don't start holding things back now Clark."

He didn't know why he wouldn't tell Lex that this could all end in his death. Maybe he was simply afraid to say the words out loud—or he was afraid of what Lex would do. He had a tendency to think himself above the laws of nature, and he thought maybe he'd go to extremes to prevent it from happening. Or maybe he'd relish it happening and then there'd be no question of who got to raise the child. Clark shook the thought out of his head—even he couldn't believe that of Lex.

Clark didn't look at him. "I'm not…"

Lex sighed; Clark was completely hopeless sometimes. "Then Leo will show you your room."

And Leo, dressed in the traditional Luthor Asian garb appeared seemingly through the mahogany walls.

"This way Mr. Kent."

* * *

Oddly enough he never really stayed at the mansion before, not even when they were best friends. The place ran like a machine, with his staff acting as mere cogs in the machinery. They rarely had to be asked to do anything, and often his needs were met before he knew he needed anything. He had to admit—it was nice. But as comfortable as he was, he still couldn't sleep, and spent his first night just wandering around the mansion. The rooms went on forever as he explored one room after another, being careful not to enter the rooms that were locked, though he could if he wanted—he didn't even x-ray them. He wanted to respect Lex's privacy he told himself, though he was mostly afraid of finding something that would make him angry at Lex.

Lex's light was on in his study when he passed it, though it was well after midnight. He knocked gently and waited until he heard Lex invite him in.

Lex was gathering up a number of what looked like x-rays on his desk when he walked in.

"Is that me?" Clark pointed to the pile on Lex's desk.

Lex hesitated for a moment then handed the stack to Clark. "You can't sleep?"

Clark shook his head while he looked at the pile of x-rays. There she was, nestled below what resembled intestines in a tightly wound sac inside the cavity she had created in his body. He wasn't sure what he looked like before, but they didn't look like the intestines he'd seen in anatomy books. Looking at his own anatomy was both amazing and terrifying.

"Doesn't look very human does it?"

Clark shook his head. "But she does. It's a girl."

Lex nodded. "These are the last images we took of you while you were in your 'coma'. We wanted to monitor the baby and see how it was developing, in case you never woke up. But yes, you can clearly see it's a girl."

Clark smiled finally. "This is amazing. I'm really having a baby, a little girl."

Lex walked over to him. "Yes, I'm glad you're starting to realize it. It doesn't have to be a nightmare. I know this is strange and it can't make you feel very masculine—but you have a chance to give life, and it's incredible."

"I guess there's no point in me worrying about why this happened is there? I mean she's here, and she's mine -ours. My mother would have been so thrilled to be a grandmother…"

"She would have been great at it, and I know she'd find a way to be happy for us. I know there's a reason this happened, and there has to be a reason it happened with me."

Clark looked at him. "I told you the reason, because we had sex."

"But it has to be more than that."

"No it doesn't Lex. Don't try to attach a grander meaning to this. It's a miracle, but the reason it happened is very simple. You came to me, I was vulnerable and wanted it, its that simple. Don't turn this into a grand act of redemption for you. Its a child, and this has to be about her."

Lex didn't say anything for a long moment. He knew what this child would mean for him—but also knew what he could mean for the child if he ended up making the same mistakes his father had.

He looked at Clark finally. "I can do this Clark."

"I hope so, because I don't want to do this alone. I'm not even sure what to tell people when she comes. "

Lex shrugged. "Tell everyone you knocked some girl up out of town who left her on your doorstep."

"I can't tell people that!"

Lex smirked. "Well you could always tell them the truth."

Clark's cheeked reddened and caused Lex to laugh out loud.

Clark mumbled. "I'm glad you're finding this funny."

Lex tried to stop smiling. "You need to stop worrying so much about what other people think."

Clark rolled his eyes. "I'm going try and get some sleep, you should too."

"I will when I'm ready."

Clark rose and walked to the door. "Good night, Lex."

* * *

Lex stayed in his office for another hour and was contemplating heading upstairs when a member of his staff uncharacteristically came bursting into his office.

"I'm sorry sir, but something is very wrong with Mr. Kent!"

Lex bolted from his desk, and grabbed his phone. He immediately called Kruger the head of his team. "Its happening, I need you two up here now!"

He ran into Clark's room, and touched a button that slid the far wall open to reveal equipment waiting behind it. His maid was holding Clark, trying to get him to calm down.

Lex stopped, it wasn't what he was expecting. "What happened?"

His maid looked at him. "I heard him screaming, so I thought he was hurt, but I think its just a nightmare, but I can't get him to wake up."

He walked over to Clark and grabbed him by his shoulders and yelled his name, looking directly into his eyes. Clark blinked a few times and finally seemed to see him. Lex looked at his maid.

"I'll take it from here. Let Mr. Kruger know that I need him on standby."

He went over and closed the wall panel, and picked up towel from the adjacent bathroom to wipe Clark's sweaty face.

"What happened?"

Lex sat next to him on the bed. "You woke up screaming and scared the staff half to death."

Clark moved over to give Lex more room, he seemed to welcome the small comfort Lex was providing.

"I must have had another nightmare—they're getting worse."

"Why haven't you told me about them?"

Clark sat up. "Its no big deal, its just a nightmare."

"You're still shaking Clark, it wasn't just a nightmare. Whats going on?"

"Just worried…I'm ok Lex."

Lex stood up, Clark's need to push everyone away was getting old. "You don't have to be so guarded Clark, you have every reason to be terrified. But I'll let you get some rest. Just call if you need anything, anything at all."

Clark nodded and lied back down. "Lex?"

He turned around. "Yes?"

"Can you…just stay here for a little while? I mean would you lie down next to me? Its ok if you don't…"

Lex kicked off his shoes and lied down next to Clark and wrapped his arms around him. He thought Clark would pull away from the intimacy, but instead he relaxed into his arms and pulled them tighter around his torso. Lex lay there against the warmth of Clark's back, feeling the tiny pulse of the little heartbeat inside of Clark's belly vibrating against his palm, until he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Lex felt like his arm was going to crack in two—the sharp pain woke him up, and in his fog he saw the culprit was Clark, grabbing frantically at his arm, trying to wake him up. Lex jumped up immediately when he saw Clark's face. His eyes were wide and he was sweating profusely—he was obviously in pain. Lex grabbed his phone and immediately called for his team to come into Clark's room. He went to get up, but Clark grabbed him.

"Please…don't leave."

Lex nodded and ripped Clark's tee—it was happening. His belly was moving and contorting and he could see small limbs stretching. His stomach was being pulled and stretched like a rubber mask. The site was horrifying and so were Clark's screams every time his skin was stretched.

He pulled Lex closer to him frantically. "Lex…please, promise you'll take care of her, promise."

"Clark you're going to be fine, we'll both take care of her."

Clark shook his head. His hair was soaked and his eyes were streaming and he couldn't seem to catch his breath. "GOD this hurts Lex…so much. I'm not going to be fine…I won't even get to see her…"

His team hurried into the room. "What are you talking about Clark?"

"Jor el said I would die…but I just want her to be born."

Lex looked horrified. "Why didn't you say something before! Clark I never would have let you die."

Clark was panting now, and white as a sheet. "I know…but there was nothing you could—" he screamed. His skin was beginning to tear like paper, and a thick liquid was seeping between the tears.

"Mr. Luthor I think we should cut him open to extract the child."

"No! No, you'll hurt her please…just let it happen…"

Lex looked at him like he was crazy. "The kid is literally ripping you apart! I can't just sit here!"

"Don't…just—"

Then with a blood-curdling scream they all knew it was too late. Clark bucked wildly and blood started to run down his abdomen, he screamed as the skin spread apart like a threadbare sheet. The baby was coming and pushed its way out of Clark, shredding his flesh completely. As soon as the baby was free of him, Clark fell silent and went completely still. Lex stood there in shock and the small infant, wrapped in a slimy film lay wiggling next to Clark's ruined body. Shaking, Lex looked at Clark finally. He was white and unmoving, with his eyes wide open. He wasn't breathing.

The slimy film surrounding the baby melted away until it was a puddle around the baby, who laid there looking healthy and pink, next to a very dead looking Clark.

"Mr. Luthor?"

Lex turned away from the scene. "Clean him up." He walked out of the room without looking at the baby.

* * *

Lex sat very still in his room, not moving for a long time—at least it felt like a long time, he honestly had no idea. His mind was blank; no real thoughts seemed to enter his brain, as his mind played over and over the scene of Clark dying in front of him. He hadn't gone back in to see the body. The head of his team came back to say they superfluously bandaged his midsection and changed the sheets, they were leaving him there for the time being, awaiting further instructions from him. He didn't ask about the baby and they didn't mention her. He wondered what would become of her now. There was a soft knock on his door, and when he didn't answer, the door opened. It was the maid, and she stood there holding the infant wrapped in a blanket.

"Mr. Luthor. I won't ask you to explain what just happened, but I think you should hold her."

Lex shook his head, but his persistent maid walked over and laid the infant in his arms, then left the room. He looked down at the little girl—her eyes were large and bluish-green like Clark's and her small shock of hair was dark—even down to her soft apple cheeks and full red lips she was Clark's child. As he smoothed her dark curls, he wondered if any part of him was really in her, maybe the shape of her chin, he couldn't be sure. Now that he held this tiny thing in his arms, that seemed so tenacious when she resided inside of Clark, and looked so helpless now—he wasn't sure if he was ready to care for her. His grief and disappointment was too deep. Still he held the child closer to him, loving the feel of her soft smooth cheek against his rough one. Maybe a father was something you became over time, and maybe all fathers felt as hopeless as he did the first time they held their child.

The sun was high in the morning sky now, and the child reached towards the beams streaming through the window. He reached and pulled the curtain open, and he could have sworn she smiled. Maybe she loved the sun as much as Clark—he remembered how Clark said the earth's sun had changed him and made him what he is. Lex froze, then yelled for his maid. She came running into the room.

"Yes, Mr. Luthor?"

"Get Kruger and tell them to take Clark out onto the balcony. It's a long shot, but I need to try."

She looked puzzled, but knew better by now than to question anything Lex told her to do. She quickly ran out of the room. Lex picked up the child and held her towards the window and whispered softly in her ear.

"Maybe we'll get your real father back after all."

* * *

The crib from an unspeakable deed of long ago still existed and he placed the baby in it while he sat on the balcony with Clark's body, naked except for the large bandage across his torso, exposed to the sun. He had no idea if it would work, but he needed to try something—he refused to simply give up and bury Clark in the back garden. So Lex sat on the cold stone floor next to Clark and waited.

Hours passed and Lex drifted off to sleep, while Clark remained motionless on the balcony. When Lex lifted his head again and saw Clark lying there as he had been for hours, he was about to give up. He leaned over his body and carefully removed the gauze, forcing himself to face the horror that had been done to him. He almost fell over when he saw what was underneath. Clark's skin was smooth and taught again, like was before the pregnancy. Lex reached out and touched his chest, and it felt warm. Excited he leaned down to listen for a heartbeat, and heard a faint sound and felt a small intake of breath. He was so elated he could have shouted, but he only smoothed Clark's hair out of his face and watched the life come back into it. It was the second time he'd done that in a month and he hoped it would be his last. Finally, after the longest hour of his life passed, Clark opened his eyes. He glanced up at the sky and then at Lex, and smiled slightly. Lex returned the smile.

"Would you like to see your daughter?"

* * *

Lex didn't think he'd ever get used to seeing his only child dressed like a farmer, but Clark insisted she looked cute in red and sometimes blue overalls. Lex thought she looked like a boy, even if she had a mass of dark curls that almost reached her tiny shoulders. When he arrived Clark had her in the living room surrounded by an explosion of toys. She was crawling ferociously now, and starting to stand on her own.

"She looks like a boy Clark, how about we buy her some dresses."

"She'll hurt her knees. I think she looks cute."

"Of course you do."

Martha started bouncing when she saw Lex and called out his name that sounded more like "Dex."

He picked her up and she patted his head like she always did. He kissed her face and handed her the small stuffed animal he'd bought her, since Clark wouldn't allow anything too extravagant yet.

In the beginning neither was sure if the arrangement would work, and Lex had been resentful of Clark's insistence on raising her on the farm. But he gave in remembering his own childhood full of too many majestic halls and cold stone. Once he saw Clark carrying her around the farm he knew she belonged there and she looked more like Clark everyday. The only thing she seemed to inherit from him was her fierce temper, though honestly she could have gotten it from either one of them. But it didn't matter as long as she bounced on her little legs when she saw him, and smiled brightly whenever he played with her. The only thing he dreaded was the day Clark decided to marry, then she'd have a traditional family, and there'd be less room for him in her life.

Clark was dating a girl now that Lex couldn't stand and he didn't think Clark liked her as much as he claimed to. Nothing had ever become of their moment of passion and they returned to their former role of being friends. But every so often, when Clark and Martha stayed at the mansion, or he stayed too long at the farm, they'd sit very close to each other, leaning on one another quietly with an intimacy that went beyond friendship. It never went further, but neither would stop hoping that eventually one of them would have the courage to take the next step.

"Are you taking her out?"

Lex shook his head. "I think I just want to stay here and hang out with both of you."

Clark smiled. "You've been doing that more and more lately. You ashamed to be seen with our kid, or you just warming up to the idea of becoming a farmer?"

Lex shrugged. "Maybe hay agrees with me. Actually, I think I'll take her for a walk."

Clark looked surprised but went and got her sweater. He let Lex place it on her, because the novelty of watching Lex with his daughter, being so gentle, never wore off. Lex picked her up and took her outside to walk along the fence. Clark stood on the porch and watched as Lex patiently walked with her, holding her hands while she took tiny steps in front of him. In these moments Clark couldn't doubt Lex would be who she needed him to be, and who he needed him to be, and as long as they both continued on this path, maybe their future would hold all that he hoped for.

The end.


End file.
